Comcast Braces for Hurricane Matthew

Comcast continues to make preparations as Hurricane Matthew makes its way up the Florida coast, adding staff and equipment across its territory as it braces for the powerful storm.

Hurricane Matthew left a trail of devastation in Haiti, killing more than 400 people. The storm made its way toward the Florida coast on Thursday night and is currently a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of up to 100 mph. Coupled with storm surges of 7-to-11-feet and as much as 15 inches of rain in some isolated areas, the storm is expected to cause massive flooding. The hurricane is expected to move through east-central and northeastern Florida Friday night, traveling through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina from Friday evening through early Sunday.

Comcast, which has systems in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia – three states expected to be hit hardest by the storm – has been making preparations, according to Central Division spokesman Brian Farley.

In an email message, Farley said Comcast has increased staffing in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, placing employees, additional equipment and generators throughout the region to help resolve issues quickly when it is safe to do so. So far, most of the service issues in Florida are connected to commercial power outages, Farley added. According to ABC News reports, nearly 1 million homes in the eastern part of the state are without power.